Phase Two of Chiefs Offseason Program underway

Romeo Crennel’s coaching staff will hit the field for the first time Monday afternoon

The Chiefs must wait until May 11th to see their 2012 draft picks in action, but veterans will hit the field with Kansas City’s coaching staff for the first time on Monday.

Phase Two of the Chiefs offseason program begins Monday morning, providing coaches the opportunity to give on-field instruction for the first time this year.

A majority of Chiefs veterans reported to voluntary offseason workouts beginning on April 14th, but the NFL’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement limited players to working exclusively with the team’s strength and conditioning staff for the first two weeks.

Rookies will get their first opportunity to work with Chiefs coaches May 11th-13th during rookie mini-camp.

“We’re getting ready for the rookie mini-camp, but probably the biggest thing for me is on Monday I get to go down and watch the guys in the offseason program,” head coach Romeo Crennel said. “I haven’t been able to do that for two weeks, even though they’ve been here.

“I get to go down and watch them lift and see how they’re working and then our coaches can go on the field with them and do individual drills. That’s what I’m excited about.”

During Phase Two, CBA rules prohibit 11-on-11 matchups pitting offense against defense and all drills must be non-padded. But the second phase of the Chiefs offseason program is significant none-the-less.

Aside from Crennel’s first on-field opportunity to put his personal stamp on the franchise, new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll will begin installation of the new offensive playbook. Daboll had been relying on Matt Cassel to relay new terminology while throwing routes to receivers each of the past two weeks.

“It’s good for me because particularly with some of the free agents that you’ve added to the

team, I don’t know those guys as well as I know the guys who’ve been on the team,” Crennel said. “So getting to see some of the new guys work, what kind of personalities they have and being able to associate faces with the position and the player himself. Because when you don’t see a guy every day, you look at a guy and you say, ‘Who is this guy here?’

“So being able to see them on a daily basis now, I’ll be able to say, ‘Yeah, that’s Winston right here.’ Then I can look at his body and I can look at the way he works, carries himself and begin to formulate opinions.”

“I’m excited about all of the additions that we’ve made this offseason, especially offensively,” Cassel added. “Eric Winston is a guy that’s been a proven right tackle in this league for a long period of time. You’ve got Peyton Hillis that is going to give us more depth at the running back position and Boss is coming in at the tight end position as well. We’ve got a great group of guys and we’ll add depth at that position also, creating that competition.”

In Phase Two, the Chiefs will go through three weeks of individual drills while continuing strength and conditioning work with Mike Clark and the strength staff.

“So the coaches can work individually with the players on fundamentals at their position,” Crennel said, explaining Phase Two rules. “That’s what we can do. The other thing we can do, I think it fits more for the offense than it does for the defense, you can go team‐vs.‐air. So the offense can line up and call a formation and call a snap count in team‐vs.‐air. Individual position fundamentals, that will be the big thing.”

Full OTA practice sessions begin on May 21st with mandatory mini-camp starting the week of June 11th. Rookies be permitted to join the veterans beginning on the 21st if their school schedules allow.